Locked Away
by TheDaringInferno
Summary: Harry knew that his family would never leave him alone. The Dursleys may not always like him but they didn't hate him that much right? Based on an HP prompt.


**Prompt: one morning Harrys relatives had to rush out of the house. They forgot Harry. More importantly, they forgot to unlock his door…**

* * *

"C'mon Duddles, we need to hurry." Petunia smiled at her son as he rushed towards her. They were nearly late for their flight. Oh, a weekend in Brighton would be wonderful! It really was quite well that Vernon had earned that promotion. Now they could spend the next few days relaxing on the pier. She might even take Dudley to the Royal Pavilion. How unfortunate that there was nothing more interesting to do.

Petunia ushered Dudley forward as she and Vernon piled into the car. How exciting. A trip away from home. Everything was packed and nothing forgotten. They could be off.

* * *

Harry sniffled as he drew his legs closer to his chest, wincing softly. His bum shifted slightly and the stinging warm flesh throbbed painfully beneath him. Uncle Vernon had really done a number on him last night though Harry supposed he had deserved it. After all he _had_ managed to drop the entire pie he'd made for dessert without Vernon or Dudley getting a taste at all. Really he should have been more careful. Maybe in the morning he could make up for it with an amazing breakfast. Yeah, that would do the trick. Then maybe he wouldn't be in as much trouble.

The sound of heavy stomping echoed above him and Harry looked up hesitantly. He hoped Dudley didn't decide to stomp up and down the stairs while Harry was still locked in. It was always so loud, hearing his cousin's footfalls from in here, and sometimes Harry had to wrap his arms as tightly as he could around his head to block out the noise. Thankfully they didn't continue and Harry breathed out a soft sigh of relief. There was a slight shuffling upstairs, as if all of his family was already awake and moving around. That couldn't be right. It was far too early for them to be _awake_ right now. Maybe Aunt Petunia was having a special book club meeting or Uncle Vernon had a special business dinner. Maybe they needed Herry to prepare the house.

He would get to work on the yard first and hopefully that would be all the work that needed to be done outside. Should he bake a cake and some homemade ice cream? If it was Aunt Petunia's book club then he would make those mini cheesecakes that the ladies had all loved the last time he made it. That was sure to make Aunt Petunia the talk of the town. But if it was Uncle Vernon's business dinner then he would have to make something fancier. Maybe he could try those apple tart things he had seen a flash of on the telly. They looked _really_ fancy.

Harry waited patiently for Aunt Petunia to open the latch on his door and let him out. He would need to get started on his work right away.

* * *

Harry rocked slightly, unclenching his muscles and settling in for a bit. He would need to save his strength for when he was cleaning. His stomach growled painfully at the reminder of his lack of strength and Harry frowned. He hadn't eaten since three nights ago when his new teacher, Ms. Honey, came to visit. That had been an eventful night. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were so _nervous_. They made sure Harry scrubbed the house spotless and tidied up Dudley's second room. Then they made him memorize what he was supposed to tell the teacher.

His name was Harry Potter. He was 8 years old. He lived with his Aunt and Uncle because his parents passed away. He slept in Dudley's second bedroom and he wasn't supposed to call it Dudley's second bedroom but _his_ room. Harry's own room! He liked the color red, he liked to garden, and he liked to help Aunt Petunia in the kitchen. It was all so confusing and Harry could barely remember what he was supposed to tell his teacher at dinner. But he managed the night well enough and Ms. Honey told his Aunt and Uncle about how well Harry did in her class. It was nice to hear but Harry knew that wasn't what his Aunt and Uncle wanted. _Dudley_ wasn't doing well in her class and if Harry was doing better than his cousin that would only mean trouble. Ms. Honey left soon after 8 pm and Harry waited for his punishment to start.

Sure enough, as soon as Ms. Honey's car was down the street Aunt Petunia was shouting at him for trying to upstage Dudley. That Harry was trying to make her precious little Dudikins look bad in front of the new teacher. Harry frowned at his shoes. He could have been a bit more careful. Sure Dudley tended to throw tantrums in class and not do his homework but that didn't mean Harry needed to go out of his way to make Dudley look bad. Perhaps he should try to keep to himself. That seemed to work with all the other teachers. Ms. Havisham once told the field trip officials that Harry was a dumb mute. His aunt and uncle had loved that.

Baking the pie as an apology had been one of Harry's better ideas, dropping it was not.

* * *

Harry wondered if his family had gone to the store. He'd heard the door shut and the car start but no one had let him out of his cupboard. Maybe he was still in trouble for dropping the pie. Uncle Vernon _had_ been quite mad about it and this wasn't the first time he had been confined to his room because he had been bad. At least this time it wasn't for anything _freaky_.

The thought that his family had left him alone crossed Harry's mind more than once. And each of those times he banished the idea quickly. His family wouldn't leave him alone like that. They just _couldn't_. Harry might not be the best behaved child and he might be a freak but that didn't mean his family would _abandon_ him.

They were at the store or dropping Dudley off at his friend's house. They would be back soon Harry was sure of it.

* * *

Doubt crept into Harry's mind as he watched the sunlight fade from the little crack in his boarded up window. He's been in here for _hours_ and still no one came to let him out. He hadn't heard the car return at all or any sound of movement in the house. Where _was_ everyone? Where had his family gone? He was sorry about the pie and he hadn't thought that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were _that_ mad about it.

Uncle Vernon had already whipped him for it last night. Surely a day in the cupboard and a good whipping was more than enough punishment. He just wanted to be let out. He would do whatever else they wanted if they just let him out.

* * *

Harry wanted to scream. It was dark outside and he was so hungry and sore. Why was he still in his cupboard? Aunt Petunia always let him out at least once a day to relieve himself. Was this part of his punishment? Maybe if he apologized they would let him out. Harry coughed, trying to ease some bit of moisture into his dry throat.

"I'm sorry." Harry coughed again, harder this time as his whole body shook with effort. He could do this. Uncle Vernon hated when Harry gave half-hearted apologies. A dry throat was no reason not to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, please." Harry tried to sit up, tried to bring his lips to the little slit on the door of his cupboard. Maybe they couldn't hear him. His knees trembled beneath him and Harry remembered that he hadn't had a thing to eat in days. He was weak and could do little more than slump against the door of his cupboard, apologizing softly.

"Please." A tear made its way down Harry's cheek. He was _sorry_.

* * *

He deserved this. Harry was sure he deserved this punishment. There was no way that he hadn't done something to result in this isolation. Maybe it was for the pie, maybe it was for doing so well in Ms. Honey's class, maybe it was for that time four months ago when he accidentally wound up on the school roof when running from Dudley.

Whatever the reason Harry was sure Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would make sure that Harry never did it again. This was effective as far as punishments went. He curled up, trying to keep his small body warm as he fell asleep. He would do his best to try to be a good boy when he was let out tomorrow.

* * *

Morning came and Harry's limbs felt stiff like they always did when he stayed in the cupboard for too long. He felt weaker today and cursed himself for not being a better child. If he was better, stronger, less of a freak he wouldn't feel like this.

He stayed silently on his mat, waiting for Aunt Petunia to let Harry out this morning. He'd had time to think last night and Harry understood now why he was being punished. His freakiness had gotten worse recently. He'd made his hair grow back after Aunt Petunia cut it and turned the teacher's hair blue and somehow ended up on the roof. He was being more of a freak than usual and Harry understood that he was being punished for it. He needed to _stop_. Needed to be normal like his family.

* * *

Midday brought back Harry's previous doubts and he suddenly wasn't sure where his family was. He thought they had come home last night but nothing save for the sound of his own breathing reached his ears. No one was here. No one was coming.

Harry sobbed at that, all of a sudden very aware of everything. He was alone. His family had left him _alone_. He knew he needed to get his freakiness under control but he hadn't thought it'd been that bad. He thought he could make his family happy again. Now he didn't know what to think.

Harry turned away from the door of his cupboard. No one was coming, why should he bother looking?

* * *

Harry pleaded for someone, anyone to come get him. He didn't care if the neighbors heard. He didn't care if Uncle Vernon got mad and hit him again and again and _again_. At least then he would see them. At least then he would be out of this impossible and cramped space.

His voice strained as Harry tried to shout. It sounded so soft to his ears but maybe someone would hear it. Maybe someone would help him.

* * *

Harry clawed at the cupboard door, at the wall, at anything he could reach. He wanted to be let out! He wanted to be outside _now_. Why wasn't his family here? Why weren't they letting him out? He was _sorry_. He'd be a good boy he promised. He'd stop being a freak please just let him out.

* * *

Harry felt lightheaded. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd moved at all but now he felt unbalanced. He just felt so _weak_ and he wanted to sleep. His whole body wanted to sleep. Harry whined and laid his head against the broom on the other side of the cupboard, pushing away the used cleaning bucket. Maybe he would sleep for just a little bit. Just a little.

* * *

Vernon grunted as he pulled their luggage out of the car. He was glad to be home. The trip was less than eventful though Petunia had seemed to love it. Vernon hoped this would be enough to satisfy her for the rest of the year. Maybe now she'd stop talking about taking that trip to Spain.

One of the neighbors stepped out of their house and waved to Vernon. He waved back as was polite and then grumbled to himself when the neighbor started to come closer. He put on a smile and motioned Petunia and Dudley into the house. The neighbor, Charles Something-or-Other, stopped near Vernon and smiled.

"I see you went on vacation." The neighbor looked at Vernon as if Vernon knew what to do with that information. The whale of a man was reminded of exactly why he hated his neighbors. Always such chatterboxes, just like Petunia.

"We did." Vernon decided to go along with the conversation in the hopes that it would end faster. Maybe this idiot would leave him alone when he realized Vernon wasn't interested in what he had to say. However, the neighbor just smiled again and looked at Vernon's home.

"I just wanted to tell you that I think one of Mrs. Figgs cats got into your house." Charles Something-or-Other frowned and looked back at Vernon. "I heard some whining and scratching, you might want to make sure that nothing was broken."

Vernon almost growled. That freak boy. He'd better not have broken anything or he'd be in a world of trouble. They'd given the child a bit of a vacation in leaving him alone and this was how he repaid them? By screaming and clawing the walls and making a ruckus. Oh that freak was in trouble.

"I'll make sure to check." Vernon ignored the neighbor, bringing his luggage up to the house. He didn't have time for idle chatter, not when he had a freak to punish. He left the bags by the door and marched towards the cupboard. He tugged on the handle, surprised to find it locked shut. Had Petunia relatched the door? Vernon undid each of the locks on the cupboard and wrenched the door open, ready to scold his nephew.

Vernon startled as the smell of dried piss his him. His hand flew to his nose and he squinted into the dark space. The boy was curled up on his matress, breath low and shallow and still dressed in the same rags as the night before they left. A brief thought flashed across Vernon's mind and the man paled. Had they remembered to unlock the cupboard before they left?

Before he could further look into that train of thought the boy moved, slowly waking up and turning over. The moment Harry registered that the door was open and that Vernon was there the boy shot up. Well he struggled to his hands and knees in agonizing second after second and then _knelt_ before Vernon.

Vernon spluttered, unsused to such clear deference and almost helped to the boy to sit properly before Harry started speaking, voice weak and small.

"I'll be better I promise. I didn't mean to be such a freak. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry _please_ no more. I'll be good please just let me-" Harry's rambling was cut short by Petunia's loud gasp behind him. Vernon turned to his wife, watching as horror split her face and Vernon was sure now that the door had not been relatched.

They had never opened it.

Vernon looked at his shaking nephew, watched as the boy whimpered and mumbled apologies into the floor as he stayed knelt before Vernon. There was a moment of raw and awful guilt as Vernon wondered what the boy had thought when he'd been left alone for three days with no food, water, or explaination before Vernon shoved the feeling away. He wouldn't feel bad about this. After all it had taught the freak a lesson.

* * *

 **A/N: Back at it again with your favorite sad fics. I hope you all enjoyed this.**

 **I'm thinking of opening up commisions because ya boi is broke. If you're interested leave a review or message me.**

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